Kansas

Malaina Piyassaphan

Biography

Malaina joined the Bettys in 2014, her freshman year at KU. It was clear from the start that her drive and energy for the team and sport were unrivaled among her peers. After four years of commitment and hard work in both the college and club spheres, she has become an integral part of our team both on and of the field. Her inside break throws catch even the best mark by surprise, and her quick decision making and give and goes drive the offense of the Bettys. She is a workhorse, running hard through every point, bidding at any opportunity and playing through injuries and exhaustion. She not only works to develop her own skill set, but seeks opportunities to better the ultimate community as a whole! She has been involved in the Lawrence and Kansas City ultimate community, helping run local league organizations, mentoring younger players and playing on the Kansas City club team Wicked. She is known for maintaining a balance between goofy and focused. She may seem totally focused and chill on the field, but don’t let that fool you! The team refers to her as “passion-baby 2.0” because if you impress her enough on the field, she will burst into tears! On the sideline, you can catch her manning the boombox and keeping the team hyped with her “jamz.” She channels this energy in the huddle with a pump-up speech guaranteed to fire up anyone, and she carries it through on the field in every point. Malaina is an easy choice for the Betty Callahan nomination because she encompasses everything the sport of ultimate seeks to foster: a love for your team, a love for the sport, a love for the ultimate community and, most importantly, a love for the spirit of the game!